Gerry Smyth

I taught P.E. with Gerry at St. Catherine's School from 1974 to 1976. A short but very memorable time. As a newly qualified teacher, I saw in Gerry a dedicated and driven teacher with qualities that carried through to my own teaching for many years to follow. My big regret is that I didn't see him to thank him for that early inspiration but was heartened to read the many tributes to him by so many that said the same of him that I would have liked to have said. Thank you, Gerry. In the words of Gerry when I would see him at the start of the week, " What's the craic, Joe?" My condolences to Joan and family. R.I.P. Gerry.

Sincere smmpathy to Joan, Michael & extended family on the passing of Gerry. Lots of great memories, on & off the court. Rest in Peace Gerry.

Condolences on the passing of Gerry,May he rest in Peace.

Joan and Michael - my deepest and sincerest condolences go to you both and your families on the death of Gerry. He was a once in a lifetime person - once known, never forgotten.

Sincerest sympathies to Joan and all the extended Smyth family on the recent sad passing of Gerry. Gerry was a wonderful teacher, so approachable and encouraging at all times. Even many years later when you would meet him on the street, he always greeted you with a handshake and would take time to have a chat. His contribution to the GAA in Monaghan was unsurpassed and his training and brilliant coaching were so vital in securing a National Football League and Ulster Title for Monaghan in 1985. May his soul rest in peace.

We'd like to express our sincere condolences to Joan and all the Smyth family. Gerry was a big supporter of all sports people. He gave his time to so many coaches and volunteers helping all learn and grow for the betterment of so many local players. His advice was always positive, meaningful, and always with a smile and coaches story. He was a true leader, friend and peer and will be so sadly missed.

My deepest sympathies to the Smyth family on the passing of your beloved Gerry. My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this difficult time.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Deepest sympathy to Joan and extended families on the sad passing of Gerry. He was a kind, generous man who gave unstintingly to the young people of Castleblayney. He was a gentle giant and a true gentleman. May his gentle soul rest in the Love and Light of God.

Deepest sympathy Joan, at this sad time. Condolences also to Michael and Elizabeth,May Gerry rest in peace.

Deepest Sympathy to Joan; Michael and Family on the passing of your Dearest and Beloved Gerry.
May Gerard Rest in Eternal Peace Amen.🕊️

Condolences to Joan,brother Michael & the Smyth family on the passing of Gerry.May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Very sad to hear that Gerry has passed.
He was a truly brilliant coach who was ahead of his time.
My sincere sympathy to his family and friends.
Rest easy Gerry.

Very sorry to hear of the recent passing of Gerry Smyth.
He was football coach to the Faughs in 1986 when we won the Ulster club championship.He was a major part of that success with the way he had us match fit and injury free.
He was also the best school's basketball coach in Ireland.
May his kind soul Rest in Peace. Amen.

Very saddened to hear about the death of Gerry. A wonderful colleague and inspirational sport's teacher.
Sincere condolences to Joan, Michael and the extended Smyth and Duffy families.
May he Rest in Peace.

Deepest Sympathy to you Joan and Micheal. And thank you Joan for supporting Gerry all those years. We are equally indebted to you for all the wonderful memories we made and lessons we learned through the gift of sport.

Many of us were fortunate to be coached by Gerry from primary school, community games to leaving cert and beyond.

Gerry knew our strengths and he knew our shortcomings and had no problem pointing out both.

There were no whatssapp groups, Heja apps or parents meetings. It was “be outside Joan’s pantry at 7 on Saturday morning and if you are not there I’m going without you”.

He didn’t just build basketball players he built people and I will be forever grateful to have had the consistency of a coach like Gerry.

Thank you for the memories Gerry. You were one of a kind.

RIP Coach

Sincere sympathy to Joan, Michael and the extended family on the sad passing of Gerry. May he rest in peace.

Very saddened to hear of Gerry's passing. He was a great coach and I have many fond memories on the basketball court during my time at OLSS.
My sincere condolences to his family. RIP Gerry.

My heart goes out to Gerry's family and friends. He was my PE teacher at St Catherine's in London from ages 9 to 12, and he coached us in everything from cricket and football to rugby. Even as young students, we all deeply admired him, and the success our teams achieved under his guidance far surpassed what the school anticipated. He even introduced us to basketball, and our team became one of the best thanks to his coaching.

Gerry truly embodied the spirit of sport, and he ignited a real passion for it in all of us. Reading these condolences, it's clear that everyone who knew Gerry felt that same special spark he had.

Sincere sympathy to Joan and Michael. So sorry to learn of Gerry’s death. Remembering good times at tennis court many years ago
May he rest in peace.

Top teacher, wish there were more like him. RIP Mr Smyth.

Deepest sympathies to Gerry’s family and friends. Gerry’s passion for the game of basketball was huge. Gerry has inspired so many to enjoy the game of basketball and this legacy will continue. We are thinking and praying for all Gerry's family and friends. Rest in Peace Gerry.

Sincere condolences to Joan, Michael and all the family on Gerry’s sad passing. May he rest in peace.

Gerard RIP. Sincere condolences to Joan, Michael, Elizabeth, Micheál, the Smyth & Duffy families also to his cousins the Solan, Keenan & Connolly families.
Having had a commun uncle & aunt Packie & Kathleen Keenan of Doohamlet with Gerard, I have a good recollection of him, his parents RIP. & Michael visiting them back in the days!

Sincere Condolences to Joan and the entire Smyth family on the sad passing of Gerry.

Like so many others ,I have many fond memories of Gerry from my time in OLSS.
The legacy he leaves behind is unrivaled.
RIP Gerry.

Deepest sympathy to Joan and Michael and all the Smyth family.Rest in peace Gerry.

Really sorry to hear about Gerry's passing. He was one of a kind and everyone he taught will remember his passion.

Sorry to hear of the passing of Gerry, he was a great basketball man who gave so much time to the school in Castleblayney. Condolences to all his family, friends and clubmates of Muckno lakers.

Our sincere condolences to Joan, Micheal and the wider Smyth and Duffy Family on the passing of Gerry. May he Rest in Peace.

Deepest sympathy to all the family on the sad passing of Gerry. May he rest in heavenly peace.

Deepest sympathy to Joan, Michael and the entire Smyth and Duffy family on the death of Gerry. May he rest in peace

My condolences to Joan and all of Gerry’s family. Gerry has impacted so many lives in such a positive way. His legacy will live on for generations to come as the expertise and passion he brought to his teams gets passed on to the next generation by all the people he has inspired. RIP Gerry and thank you for everything.

Very fond memories of Gerry's time coaching in Culloville. He brought great expertise and personality to everything he did. Sincere sympathy to all his Family and Friends. May he rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Joan and all the Smyth and Duffy families on the death of Gerry, may he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to Joan, Michael and all the Smyth & Duffy family.
May Gerry Rest In Peace.

Deepest Sympathy to the late Gérards wife Joan, brother Michael, sister in law Elizabeth, Nephew, cousins, extended family circle, friends and neighbours. RIP. Gerry was a great person who coached many football teams, our County team for both all Ireland semi finals, he also coached Castleblayney basketball team.

I am so sad to hear of Gerry's passing. It only takes a glance at a few messages to get a real sense of how much he meant to people and the community.

I moved to Castleblayney days before starting in OLSS. While basketball had been a hobby, it soon became a way of life, Gerry instilled a love of basketball and team sport in so many. It wasn't always easy but Gerry's support was always there, along with a strong drive to perform and pay back what our Coach put in.

To this day, on mentioning Blayney and basketball to someone who played elsewhere, they inevitably remember Gerry and his booming guidance!

Gerry's passing has brought back a lot of memories, I will forever be grateful to him.

Rest in Peace Gerry.

Gerry will be cherished in our memories forever ♥️ a true friend. Condolences to Joan , Michael and all the Duffy and Smyth family. We will miss u 'Aul Pal' 💔 Rest easy Gerry. Xx

My Deepest sympathy To Joan Michael and extended family on the passing of Gerry you will miss him so much may he Rest in peace

RIP Coach Gerry

Deepest condolences to Joan and the wider Smyth Family on the passing of a true sporting legend, Gerry.

While Gerry may have begun as a coach and mentor, as time passed, he became a true friend to so many of his former players. During my teenage years he instilled a love of basketball which has continued throughout my life , for that I’m forever grateful. It was an honour and a privilege to play on his teams and celebrate our many successes with him and some fantastic teammates.

Only now when I look back as an adult do truly appreciate his amazing level of commitment & dedication not to mention all of the time that he so unselfishly gave to others.

He has left an incredible legacy and one that he and his wider family should be incredibly proud of.

RIP Coach 🏀🙏

May I express my condolences at the loss of Gerry to Joan, his family, his students and his many friends.
I spent a few years in St. Michael’s boarding school Omeath with Gerry. We were the class of ‘66. I have never come across anybody so driven, determined and enthusiastic as Gerry. I have lots of memories of Gerry but the one that sticks in my mind is of him running lap after lap after lap in all weathers on his own.
May he rest in peace, Big Man.

Our Lady’s Secondary School Parents Association extend our deepest sympathy to Joan and the extended Smyth and Duffy families on the sad passing of Gerry. Gerry was such an inspiration to everyone who was fortunate to call him “Coach”. He dedicated so much to the game of basketball in the school as well as with the Muckno Lakers. Gerry was such a huge influence on the students, on and off the basketball court. He leaves behind such an amazing legacy. May he rest in peace and may the Lord bring comfort to all members of his family.

Deepest sympathy to Joan, Michael and extended Smyth and Duffy families on the passing of Gerry. His selfless contribution to sporting life in Castleblayney will never be forgotten.
May his gentle soul rest in peace.
Hugh, Janice, Jessica, Eileen and Aoife Cullen

Deepest sympathies to Joan and Michael on the loss of Gerry. He was a great basketball & rugby coach. We will always remember our days golfing with Gerry on Castleblayney golf course and further afield. May he rest in peace - Joe & Cait Quinn,Killycard Castleblayney

Deepest sympathy to Joan, Michael and the extended Smyth and Duffy families. May he rest in peace.

My deepest condolences to Joan and Gerry’s extended family. A true gentleman who has had a lasting legacy on so many people who knew him. R.I.P

Deepest sympathy to Joan and the Smyth family on the sad passing of Gerry. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Heartfelt condolences Joan on the passing of Gerry, and to Michael, Elizabeth and family and extended families. May he rest in peace

Deepest Sympathy to Joan Michael and extended families on the sad passing of Gerry may he Rest in Peace

Sincere sympathies to Joan, Michael, Elizabeth and all the extended families. Sorry we can't be there to celebrate his life but will catch up when next over.

Sincere condolences to Joan and to Michael and extended families on the very sad passing of Gerry.

Gerry's knowledge of the game and his ability to get the best out of all his players was truly inspiring. It was a privilege to play with the Blazers/Lakers in the twilight of his Coaching years.

Gerry has left a lasting Legacy that continues to shine through his beloved Lakers & many other clubs country wide.

In the words of Big Tom "The pleasure was ours" Safe journey home Gerry.

Gerry came to teach at St Catherine’s School in Merton, London. He arrived like a whirlwind! He had an immediate impact with his enthusiasm and drive with the school’s sports teams. He was unfamiliar with sports such as rugby union and cricket but that did not stop him learning and driving on his teams to great success. No school had it easy competing against his teams and he went on to achieve Surrey county successes in many sports. As a friend we went on holidays together whether it was travelling around the Greek islands or winter skiing. Pam and I were lucky to come over to meet with Gerry and Joan on a number of occasions. Always great fun. I was proud to be invited to be his best man at his wedding to Joan. Unfortunately I did not try on the suit and shirt he had got for me until the evening before the big day but suffice to say it was not the best fit. It was a nervous occasion for me in front of a large unfamiliar audience but as some of his basketball students have said, we would walk through brick walls for him! Rest in peace my old friend.

Our sincere condolences to you Joan , Michael and all the family. From the McMahon Family Corrygarry (Toome)

Our heartfelt sympathy to Joan on the passing of your beloved Gerry. Our Sympathies also to Michael, Jim and extended Smyth and Duffy families. RIP Gerry

Sincere sympathy to Joan, Michael and the extended Smyth and Duffy family on the sad passing of Gerry. He was one of a kind. May he rest in peace.

Deepest condolences to Joan & all the Smyth & Duffy families on the passing of Gerry.
He inspired so many of us to greater achievements in sport, he leaves a legacy that will never be forgotten.
Rest in peace Coach.

Sincerest sympathy to Joan, Michael & members of the extended Smyth & Duffy Families on the passing of their beloved Gerry.
His commitment to his Community at local & county level in Basketball & GAA was commendable .
I still recall vividly my Dad , Jimmy & I travelling on a Sunday morning to a Scouts Camp in Mullingar to bring Gerry home, simply informing him that Barney, his Dad , had been involved in an accident the night before. The journey was quiet with Margaret having to advise of the tragedy.
Margaret & Barney fondly remembered.
May Gerry’s soul rest in eternal pease.
🙏

Our deepest sympathies to Joan,Michael and all the family connections……May Gerry Rest In Peace…..🙏🏻🙏🏻

My deepest sympathy to Joan & Michael, Elizabeth & Míchéal on the death of Gerry. May he rest in peace.